My topic on why college degrees should not be the deciding factor in job
hiring decisions is important to me because I’ve seen my mom, who doesn’t have a
college degree, get completely overlooked for a position at a company she already
works for, when she is 10 times more qualified and experienced. The company
instead hired an outsider with no loyalty to the company, but who went to school
and got a degree. This topic interests me, not only because it’s personal but because
in this generation employers often look for college degrees as the main criteria for
hiring a candidate for a job. Understanding the value of skills and experience over
a college degree can allow companies to focus on different perspectives when
hiring someone. Companies can uncover talented people who can be a dire asset to
their team.
Subject: Reevaluating how employers put value on college degrees when
deciding to hire a candidate for a job.
Setting: hiring decisions; skills vs. degrees in the 21st century.
My research explores how skills and experience are more useful for
employees than a college degree. As well as looking at different reasons, like an
unrelated degree, and how this is not helpful for a company. I also plan to give data
reports on… (how inefficient college degrees can be, certain situations)
I believe companies, when hiring someone, need to value skills and
work-place experience over a college degree. I feel that companies that only look
for a degree, when hiring, are setting themselves up for failure. By giving examples
and data on why skills are more important, can allow people to change their own
perspective on the issue, and give more insight on why college degrees are
sometimes not useful.
Sources:
Castro, Stephanie, and E. D. Everett. “Let’s Think Differently About… Requiring a
College Degree for Most Local Government Jobs: If You Want to Attract More
Qualified Applicants, Retain Your Talented Employees, and Practice Effective DEI
Policies, Rethink Your College Degree Requirement.” Public Management, vol.
105, no. 8, 2023, pp. 40-.
(not peer-reviewed)
https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/rise-of-skills-based-hiring (give data)